Cane grab for windrow loader

ABSTRACT

For Windrow Cane in which the cut canes are haphazardly deposited on the flat field (there being no hills). The suspending mechanism for the grab is mounted to rotate on the upper boom about a substantially vertical axis whereby the grab jaws may be made to open lengthwise or crosswise of the vehicle on which the cut canes are deposited for transfer to the sugar house.

limited fiates Patent Willett 1451 Mar. 28, 1972 [54] CANE GRAB FORWHNDRQW LEADER FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS Inventor: Harold Willelt,Thibodaux, L 1,067,996 10/1959 Germany ..214/147 G 73 A. C M i1! e & Eneerln Com an I I sigma z g z z La 8]" g p Primary Examiner-Gerald M.Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham l Attorney-Wilkinson,Mawhinney & Theibault (21] Appl. No.: 45,380

' [57 ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl. 214/147 G For Windrow Cane in which the cutcanes are haphazardly Int. Cl. ....B66c 3/04 deposited on the flat field(there being no hills). The suspend- Of Search 1 G ing mechanism for thegrab is mounted to rotate on the u per boom about a substantiallyvertical axis whereby the grab jaws 5 6] References Cited may be made toopen lengthwise or crosswise of the vehicle on UNTED STATES PATENTSwhich the cut canes are deposited for transfer to the sugar house.3,330,056 7/1967 Woodside .214/147 G X 2,831,589 4/1958 Way ..2l4/l47 G1 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZB I9?2 3.651 ,966

SHEET 1 BF 2 & gill" INVL'NTOR HAROLD A. WILLETT FIG.2

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ATTORNEYS P'ATENTt-jgmm I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR HAROLD A. WILLETT inATTORNEYS CANE GlRAB FOR WINDROW LOADER The present invention relates toCANE GRAB FOR WIN- DROW LOADER and has for an object to deal with sugarcane for the purpose of lifting the canes from in front of the loaderand transferring the harvested canes onto wagons or other vehicles whichthereupon transport the canes to the mills for expressing the juicetherefrom.

In Louisiana the canes are grown on hills and the cut canes aredeposited across two adjacent hills whereby the grab or grapple mayengage crosswise of the canes and beneath the same through the troughs,between adjacent hills.

However, in the Tropical Islands where sugar cane is grown, no welldefined rows and intervening troughs are used but the cane growshaphazardly on flat terrain so that the job of collecting the same bythe grab and transferring it in proper position as to lengthwisedimension of the canes poses a different problem for the grab and inorder to deal with this situation the present invention proposes tomodify and improve the grab and its support from the upper boom topermit controlled rotation of the grab about an upright axis.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swivelly supported grabwith appropriate control whereby the operator may at any time alter theposition of the jaws relatively to the windrowed Canes for the purposeof rapid pickup and also, and more particularly, for altering thehorizontal direction of the canes to better accommodate the same on thecustomary flat platforms on the carts or railcars whichever affordsdelivery communication with the sugar house.

The invention has for a further object to accomplish the above-statedpurposes at a minimum of alterations from standard grab and boomconstruction, which at the same time will provide a simple form ofcontrol for the operation in carrying out the normal activities of thegrab, plus the new functions achieved by the added constructionaccording to the invention.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the improved grab and its mountingon the outer end of the upper boom, the jaws of the grab being in openposition.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view with the jaws open but turned atsubstantially right angles from the position of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view taken on an enlarged scale withthe jaws fully open, and being in substantially the same plane with theupper boom.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view on a somewhat smaller scale showing thejaws in the same general attitude but closed.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2, of the graband its pivotal mounting.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. ll.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 represents the so-calledupper boom or dip stick of a conventional cane grab vehicle that ismovable through the cane field to pick up cut canes and deposit same onvehicles for transport to the sugar house for processing into juice andultimately into cane sugar.

The boom is mounted to the vehicle in the customary way, not shown,projects forwardly from the vehicle and has up and down and pivotalswinging movements about its mounting on the vehicle frame, all inaccordance with customary practice.

At its forward free end, the boom 10 carries a fork 11 across the openend of which is fitted a cross pin 12. Perforated lugs 13 are supportedby the cross pin 12. Where the lugs 13 are made fast to the cross pin 12the end journals of pin may be made rotatable in the fork, but the pin12 may be made fast in the fork and the lugs 13 rotatable about the pin.

To the lower ends of the lugs 13 an upper plate 14 is rigidly securedwhile a lower plate 15 spaced below the upper plate 14 is or may besupported from said upper plate by a bushing 16 or otherwise as bestseen in FIG. 5. The two plates 14 and 15 do not rotate and form asupport therebetween for a cylinder 17 of a fluid pressure motor.

Still referring to FIG. 5 a pivot pin or bolt 18 passes through bothplates 14 and 15, the latter plates being held separated by the bushing16. One or more washers 19, 20 surround the pin 18 above the upper plate14 being confined in place by the pin or bolt head 21. The lower end ofthe bolt 18 passes through the lower plate 15 and through a cap plate 22of the grab head 23 which is supported for rotation by nut 24 threadedon bolt 18 below the cap plate 22.

The cylinder 17 is pivoted at 25 between the plates 14 and 15 and theplunger rod 26 has a rotary fit about a pin 27 upstanding from the capplate 22 of the grab head 23 outside the perimeter of the lower plate15.

The jaws 28 and 29 of the grab are pivoted together at 30 to the lowerportion of the grab head 23 and such jaws are opened and closed at thewill of the operator through hydraulic or other motors 31, 32 in amanner well known in this art through the usual hose connections withthe well known operators control platform mounted on the vehicle. Theclosed position of the jaws is seen in FIG. 4 and the open position inFIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The motor 17, 26 will also have suitable hoseconnections from the usual source of hydraulic fluid or compressed airwhich is a standard installation on vehicles of this kind and will besubject to control of the operator of the machine who occupies a chairat the usual control station on the vehicle.

In operation, the machine carrying the above described equipment isdriven to the cane field after the cane has been cut and is lyinghaphazardly on the ground without orientation. The boom 10 is normallyin raised initial position and the jaws 28, 29 may be initially open.The observible concentrations of the cane in which the stalks or canesmay have somewhat the same orientation and opens and closes the jaws onsuch canes which purpose is best served by rotating the grab in one orother direction about the axis of the pin or bolt 18 through charging ordischarging the cylinder 17. In this way successive grabs at the caneconcentrations may be made from different angles in rapid passes of themachine such as to in short time collect a grab full of the canes atwhich time the full load for the grab may be transferred to thetransport vehicle for which purpose the boom is turned at substantiallyright angles to the vehicle carrying same from the collecting frontposition to a side delivery locus and the grab brought to a positiondirectly over the receiving cart or flat car. At this point due toconditions of the cart or car and also due to position of the canes inthe grab it may be necessary or desirable to rotate the grab about thevertical pivot 18 in which event the operator either charges ordischarges the cylinder 17 and accordingly the grab and its load will bereoriented to a more suitable angular position for the discharge of thatparticular load upon that particular pile already loaded into theincident vehicle.

The vertical pivotal movement of the grab gives greater flexibility tothe operator, secures better results and saves valuable time 'ofoperatives in the field.

What is claimed is:

1. A cane grab and loader for windrowed cane comprising a boom, an openforked end on said boom, a cross pin journaled in said forked endproximate the open end of said fork, a first elongated plate havingupstanding lugs secured thereto; said lugs being secured to the crosspin, a complemental elongated plate spaced from said first plate by abushing, a grab cap plate for supporting the grab, pivot means passingthrough said elongated plates, bushing and cap plate, a rotary drivepivot secured to said cap plate proximate one comer thereof, a cylinderand ram assembly pivoted at one end to said elongated plates andpositioned therebetween and to said rotary drive pivot at the other endto cause said grab cap plate to rotate about said pivot, a cane grabsecured beneath said grab cap plate and means for opening and closingsaid grab for picking up and discharging cane.

1. A cane grab and loader for windrowed cane comprising a boom, an openforked end on said boom, a cross pin journaled in said forked endproximate the open end of said fork, a first elongated plate havingupstanding lugs secured thereto; said lugs being secured to the crosspin, a complemental elongated plate spaced from said first plate by abushing, a grab cap plate for supporting the grab, pivot means passingthrough said elongated plates, bushing and cap plate, a rotary drivepivot secured to said cap plate proximate one corner thereof, a cylinderand ram assembly pivoted at one end to said elongated plates andpositioned therebetween and to said rotary drive pivot at the other endto cause said grab cap plate to rotate about said pivot, a cane grabsecured beneath said grab cap plate and means for opening and closingsaid grab for picking up and discharging cane.